- The introductory “Level 0” was added very late in development and is not in this
document at all. It was subsequently cut from the game and re-added as a bonus,
unlockable feature. A different introductory section to the game is described in this
document. This introduction was never attempted because it was decided it was
too high risk and labor intensive for what it accomplished. - Of all the sections of the document, the gameflow changed the most. Of the
gameflow included here, the basement is much shorter and simpler than what is
included in the shipped game. The basement was an example of unanticipated
level-bloat that occurred during development. That said, it is generally agreed the
final basement level turned out quite well and is one of the spookiest spaces in the
game.
Despite all the changes, it is interesting how much the final game matches a lot of the
mechanics, story, and general goals set out in this document. Fairly early on in develop-
ment I made a focus statement for the game, and the final game follows it to a
remarkable degree.
Unspeakableis designed to at once frighten and horrify the player, while being a
fast-paced, action-oriented game. The controls will be tight and responsive, with an
emphasis on allowing the player to easily navigate the 3D environments while defeat-
ing a large number of opponents. The player’s character will be strong and dexterous to
the point of being superhuman; the character will be able to overcome overwhelming
opposition with primarily projectile weapons. The horrific creatures the player battles
will take the form of perversions of the human form, creatures that “should not be” and
which are upsetting to look at in both appearance and movement. The setting, with the
exception of the monsters, is fairly realistic for a computer game, and the game touches
on portions of human history that will inevitably be unsettling and disturbing to the
player.In the end, despite everything that did change in the game but not in the document, it
was still an essential tool for developingThe Suffering. Though I would write it differ-
ently in the future, many games in the past have certainly done far worse.
Appendix B: Sample Design Document:The Suffering 581